Avengers Tower
by AvengersIsLife
Summary: Tony rebuilds the tower, and realizes he misses his teammates. So, doing what any good friend would do, he goes and forcefully takes them from their lives, and forces them to live in the tower with him.
1. Tony's Plan

After everyone separated after New York, Thor back to Asgard, Bruce to the unknown, Steve to explore the new world, and Clint and Natasha back to their mysterious spy ways, Tony Stark was left with a LOT of free time on his hands. So what does a billionaire playboy philanthropist do in his free time? Create things. Many don't know it, but he's a mechanic as well.

He concentrated mostly on the renovation of Stark Tower, which had been completely destroyed during the battle of New York. Pepper helped occasionally, but mostly left him to his own devices; she was busy dealing with the press. Tony and his robots worked day and night, fixing up the tower to its previous glory, and then some. Eventually he hired a crew of people to help rebuild the building, but everything had to be cleared by Tony first.

A nagging feeling was growing inside of him, but he couldn't place it. It intensified every time he looked at the giant 'A' still attached to the building.

If he was honest with himself, he missed his teammates. He had only known them for a few days, the bird brain even less, but they had been outstanding people, and just the type of people he wanted to be around. Of course, he wasn't going to admit that to anyone, not even to himself, but it was true.

About halfway through the renovation, the significance of the still hanging 'A' hit him, and he remembered an old, insane, and wonderful, idea. He called in the lead people on the project, and pulled out a scroll of plans he had created the evening Thor and Loki returned to Asgard. They were plans for floors for each of the Avengers.

Tony let the hired workers do most of the basic layout of the rooms, but he himself did the personal modifications. He added in specific touches that he thought would suit each Avenger's needs.

Now all he needed was a plan.


	2. Bruce

"Hello?"

"Hey. Haven't heard your voice in a while."

"May I ask who's speaking?"

"And old friend. Last time we saw each other, you were leaving for a plane going god knows where."

"Anthony Stark."

"Bruce-The-Hulk-Banner."

"That's not cute."

"Neither is the fact that I haven't been able to see you in forever."

Tony smirked as he heard Bruce's exasperated sigh over the phone.

"Tony, if you have a good reason for calling, speak up now. I'm really busy. How did you even get this number anyways?"

"How do you think? Despite Fury's best efforts, even he can't stop the master genius."

"You're head grows bigger every day."

"That's what Pepper says. Long story short, Bruce, I want you to come live at Stark tower."

Silence followed that statement, broken only by the occasional burst of static. Eventually he heard the doctor sigh.

"What, in this strange and dangerous world, made your brilliant brain, think up such a stupid idea?"

Not what Tony wanted to hear.

"My idea isn't stupid," muttered Tony sulkily.

Realizing he had hurt his friend's feelings, Bruce back-tracked. "I didn't mean your idea was stupid, I just meant that the consequences could be bad-"

"Brucy, since when do I care about consequences?"

Bruce snorted.

"Uh, how about never."

"Exactly. Never ever. But Bruce, seriously. Where are you right now? Scratch that, Jarvis already tracked your location. What are you doing right now?"

"I'm tending to the gravely ill and injured."

"Eww, sick people. Gross. Want to do something fun?"

Bruce sighed.

"I'm trying to build a communication device that will allow us to contact Thor."

"Contact Thor for what?"

"To get him to come live with us too."

"_Too?_ Tony, _please _don't tell me your plan includes getting all of the Avengers under one roof."

Silence.

Bruce sighed again. What was he getting himself into?

"What the hell. I should be there in about six days."

Even over the phone Bruce could practically see Tony's lit up face and enormous smile.

"Oh there is no need. I had Jarvis fly down the private jet three hours ago. You're on the north side in the Dominican Republic, right? By the time you get your stuff collected, your personal mode of transportation will be ready for departure."

Bruce laughed. The man thought of everything.

* * *

The people behind Bruce in the tiny office looked up questioningly as he began to collect his things.

"I'm sorry guys, but something came up. I trust you all to continue your work here. Thank you all."

One of the younger nurses grabbed Bruce's arm as he walked out the door.

"Where are you going sir?"

He looked rather guilty, but there was nothing left for him to do there; he had actually been planning to leave soon, and go seek somewhere else to help people.

"I'm going to work in Stark Tower."


	3. Thor

"Tony, are you sure this will work?"

"Are you sure that there is a Santa Claus?"

"Well, ...No.."

"Well forget you Bruce! Yes this will work, and _YES_ there is a Santa Claus!"

Tony and Bruce were slaving heavily over a metal contraption that was emitting loud noises and heavy clouds of dense gray smoke, causing the scientists to cough and sputter, adding to the infernal noise.

Pepper was doing her best to keep herself under control, but when there was a huge explosion, followed by several curse words from each Avenger, she dropped her calendar and phone, and stormed down the stairs.

Heavy, thick, dense, grayish black smoke surrounded the room, smelling of burnt hair and metal. Pepper could barely see into the lab, but as she looked around, she saw orange flames flickering dangerously.

Without hesitation, she grabbed the fire extinguisher from the wall bracket, pulled out the pin, and let it loose.

White foam sprayed everywhere, but she tried to aim it at the flames. When she was satisfied the fire was extinguished, she put the extinguisher down, glancing around at the clearing room.

"Is everyone okay?" she asked the dark figures moving in the thinning smoke.

"Yeah, we're fine Pepper. Guess Bruce miscalculated. It's okay Bruce, it happens."

"Tony. That's not funny. You were in charge of the spark that was supposed to travel through the circuit!"

"Yeah, but you were in charge of the electrostatic base neutralization."

"I did that correctly! A hole hasn't been blown in the building, has it?"

"You guys could've blown a hole in the building? After we just finished the remodel? That's not funny Tony."

"It was a _controlled _experiment Pepper. Bruce was joking, right?"

"Well... OW!"

"_Right, _Bruce?"

"What? Oh, I mean, yes, I was just joking Pepper."

With a fierce glare, Pepper strode out of the room, her high heels clicking sassily.

It had been exactly two weeks since Bruce had moved in to the tower with Tony and Pepper. Every day had been dedicated to trying to get in communication with Thor.

Renovations had been completed the day after Bruce arrived, and Tony gave him the grand tour. With 14 floors below ground, 81 floors above ground, and rising to 1,432 feet, it was the third highest building in New York, behind the new World Trade Center, and the Empire State building. There was still one element of the tower that was still under construction, but it was on the roof, and didn't dirsturb daily life in the tower.

As Bruce and Tony cleaned up the mess in the lab, they ran over their calculations, trying to figure out where they went wrong.

In the end, it had indeed been Tony's mistake, because he forgot to carry the one in the problem. When he realized this, Tony passed it over as 'wanting to know what would happen.' Apparently a very pissed off Pepper is what would happen.

Tony had informed her of his eventual idea of getting all of the Avengers under one roof, and she had actually liked that idea. She knew Tony was pining for his friends after New York, and she thought that getting them together would be a good idea.

She hadn't known what she was signing up for. She was alright, as long as there weren't any loud noises or explosions that would prevent her from working. Unfortunately for her, with only Bruce to occupy his time for right now, there was constant noise issuing from the lab, drawing her away from her work. Yes, she could leave and go to another floor in the tower, but due to the fact that she didn't trust Tony and Bruce alone with flammable objects, she didn't dare move out of ear shot.

After fixing the calculations and adjusting the equipment, they tried the contraption one more time. There wasn't fire that time, or smoke, but a horrible metal sound emitted from the machine.

Just as Tony let out a new string words, they heard Pepper screaming bloody murder from upstairs, followed by a large, shattering crash.

Dropping everything, Tony rushed up the stairs, closely followed by Bruce.

"Pepper!"

As they threw themselves into the room, it became apparent what was wrong.

A large muscular man, dressed in a red cape and silver armor, was getting up from the glass covered floor, a large metal hammer in his left hand. He whipped his long, blonde hair from his eyes, spotted Bruce and Tony, then moved forward, embracing them in a back breaking hug.

Thor yelled out merrily "MAN OF IRON AND ANGRY GREEN ONE! I HAVE RETURNED!"


	4. Steve

Once Tony and Bruce got free of Thor's suffocating hug, they helped a very shell shocked Pepper to her feet. Thor extended a strong arm to her, shaking her whole body as he greeted her with a handshake.

Tony, deciding he better calm her down before things got worse, took Pepper to the kitchen to get some tea while Thor and Bruce moved to the sitting area talking about their lives (The shattered window lay forgotten.)

"Thor, how'd you know we needed to talk to you?" Bruce asked as he and the god settled onto the couch.

"I HAD HIEMDELL WATCH OVER YOU, AND HE INFORMED ME THAT YOU AND METAL MAN NEEDED MY ASSISTANCE," Thor boomed. Bruce winced at the loud noise.

"So our device didn't actually work?" Bruce asked, looking slightly crestfallen.

"WHAT DEVICE DO YOU SPEAK OF?"

"Never mind, I'll explain it to you later," Bruce said as Tony reentered the room.

"Hey Point Break! Haven't seen you in a while! How's Asgardian life?" asked Tony, very happy he had another friend in his tower.

"ASGARD IS FINE METAL ONE! HOW IS YOUR EARTH?"

"Okay, I guess, just got a whole lot better. And say, do you know what an 'inside voice' is?"

Thor looked quizzically at Tony.

"Thought not. Well, Thor, welcome back. I had an important question to ask you. How would you like to live with us here in the tower?"

It took a minute for Thor to process that information.

"HERE IN THIS SHINING FORTRESS WITH MY MOST FORMIDABLE BATTELING COMMRADES? IT WOULD BE AN HONOR! THERE IS NO NEED FOR ME IN ASGARD AT THE MOMENT, SO YES, I SHALL STAY, UNTIL I AM NEEDED YET AGAIN!"

Tony's face lit up, and Bruce let out a small smile.

"Great Thor, that's really great. Two down, three to go," said Tony as he walked back to the lab. Bruce and Thor followed.

"Alrighty, brainstorm time. Anyone know where the Star Spangled Man is? I think he should be our next target," Tony said as he flipped his white board and began writing.

"HIEMDELL INFORMED ME THAT THE CAPTAIN OF AMERICAS IS LIVING IN THE CITY OF BROOKLYN."

Bruce nodded, while Tony glanced up, outraged.

"He's been living near me this whole time and hasn't even stopped by to say hi? Oh Steve Rodgers is DEAD. JARVIS, locate Steve and log the directions into my GPS. We're going to going fishing for a Capscicle."

* * *

Steve was lounging around his three room apartment, watching another movie he had yet to see in his time of being frozen in ice. He hadn't done much since New York, other than mope around and watch T.V.

He knew Tony lived over at the tower now, but Steve didn't know if he wanted to speak to Tony or not. He hadn't quite gotten used to the idea of Tony yet, having been close friends with his father.

As that movie ended and he got up to put in another, his doorbell buzzed. He walked over to the intercom, and jabbed the button.

"Yes?"

"Hey there soldier. Fancy a change in scenery?"

Steve sighed, unable to decide whether he was happy or not.

"Mr. Stark."

"Cap'n."

"What are you doing here? How'd you know where I live?"

"Well, Bruce, Thor and I went for a walk, and I just happened to see S. Rodgers posted on this building's com list."

"That's not funny Stark. I- Wait. Bruce and Thor are with you?"

"Why don't you come on down and see for yourself?"

Steve hesitated, but he didn't know why. These were his friends, the only people he knew in this strange new place that he used to call home.

Deciding he really did miss these people, he pulled on a jacket, slipped on some boots, and left the apartment, eager to see his friends again.

* * *

"Took you long enough. It's cold out man."

"Well, when you've been frozen in ice for seventy years, the cold doesn't feel that bad."

Steve couldn't help but grin as he walked toward the billionaire, scientist, and god. He embraced Bruce first, careful not to make him uncomfortable in any way; he had seen him hulk out before.

"Man is it good to see you guys."

"You should've stopped by Stark tower, you idiot. Then maybe you wouldn't be so lonely."

"Shut up Stark. Just be thankful I agreed to come down and see you."

Tony shrugged, while Thor looked up at the building.

"YOU CITY HAS IMPROVED SINCE I HAVE LAST COME. THEY ARE GROWING TALLER," he boomed, making people nearby glance around.

"Uh, sure Thor, the buildings grow, because we water and feed them. Steve, I've got a proposition for you. How would you like to come live in Stark Tower with the rest of us?"

Steve looked at Tony, whose eyes were lit up like a little boy.

"Us? Bruce, you agreed to this?"

Bruce looked up, pushing his glasses back up onto the bridge of his nose.

"Well, yeah. I didn't realize how bored and unhappy I was until Tony came calling. I hate to say it, but I missed this insane billionaire. We've been working nonstop. It's been great."

Steve nodded, then turned to the billionaire in question.

"Tony, what made you think of this idea?"

"Can I not just want all of the Avengers living under one roof? Don't you think it would be cool?"

"All of us? Romanoff and Barton too? Have they agreed to this?"

Tony and Bruce shared a guilty look.

"Well, I haven't actually asked them yet, but I'm fairly sure they'll say yes. I mean, they don't have much of a choice. If they say no, I'll tie them up and lock them in the tower anyways."

Steve smiled.

"Guess that means I don't have much of a choice."

"Oh no, you have a choice. But the outcome will be the same. You can either come willingly, or you can come tied up in the back of my car. It's totally your choice."

Steve shook his head and glanced around at the gray buildings. They all looked the same. He couldn't believe he was actually pondering the idea of living in the same place as Tony. What was he getting himself into?

"You know what? I'll come, as long as you teach me how to use a stupid cell phone."


	5. Clint

The days slipped past faster than anyone could ever imagine. The Avengers currently living in the tower had never had so much fun in their lives. Every day they planned something new, from a football game to sculpting to paintballing. Anything that someone wanted to do, it was done.

Pepper watched the men enjoyably, marveling at how much they acted like six year olds. She had to break up the occasional fight over certain items, and decide on what movie to watch some nights. That was another requirement for Steve to live in the tower; they had to get him up to date on everything that he had missed.

Tony still had the thought of getting The Widow and Hawk to join the party, but now that he was occupied with the demi-god, super soldier, and scientist, the idea of being joined by the two master assassins was pushed to the back of his mind.

The thought resurfaced, however, one night, when the familiar fight broke out over what to watch.

"I think we should watch James Bond!"

"James who?"

"Please tell me you've heard of James Bond."

"Uh, I guess not."

"Come on, it was created in 1953!"

"Why do you know that Tony?"

"World War 2 ended in 1945, genius."

"CAN WE HAVE POPTARTS AGAIN?"

"Thor, remember what I said about using an inside voice?"

"Pepper, stay out of this."

"Sorry."

"So you've seriously never heard of James Bond?"

"Nope."

"Popcorn anyone?"

"I think we should watch The Hunger Games!"

"Isn't that with the chick who volunteers for her sister and then the kids are forced to kill each other by their sick and twisted government?"

"So you've seen Hunger Games but not James Bond?"

"Leave him alone Tony."

"All in favor of James Bond, raise your hand!"

"Hunger Games it is."

"Come on guys! We could have watched From Russia With Love!"

"Deal with it. We're watching Rue die."

"Uh, SPOILER ALERT."

"Oh shut up, Thor can't hear you over him eating all of the popcorn."

The chatter continued until Bruce got up and slipped the DVD into the player. Thor and Steve claimed the floor, Pepper and Tony snuggled on the couch, and Bruce stretched out on the recliner.

Tony hadn't really thought about Clint or Natasha that day, but when he watched Katniss shoot a bird in the blink of an eye, he had to suppress a grin. As they watched the rest of the movie, his brain seemed bent on forming a plan. He couldn't quite grasp how he would lure Clint to the tower, but he figured that once one assassin came, the other would follow. The smart idea would be to get Natasha to live in the tower first, but she was a little too dangerous for Tony's liking, so he would get Clint first.

He went to sleep with a troubled mind, desperately trying to figure out how to lure the hawk to it's new nest.

* * *

When Tony woke up the next morning, a fully functional plan had worked its way into his brain. It was straight forward, and simple, but might just get them all killed. He didn't know exactly how difficult Legolas would be, but he was hoping that the agent was a little more easy going than his Russian red head counter part.

As he made his way down to the kitchen, the elevator stopped off at Bruce's floor, and the scientist climbed in.

Tony had painted Bruce's floor a calming green, and had brown accents throughout the layout. Bruce had his own bathroom, bedroom, library, mini lab, and kitchen, as well as a titanium room just in case Bruce got a little ticked off.

Bruce whispered a muffled hello, yawning. He looked exhausted.

"You alright there, Bruce?"

He looked up, and Tony noticed the bags under his eyes, as well as the fact that he was wearing the same clothes that he had worn yesterday.

"What? Yeah, I just didn't get much sleep last night. I was working on the communication system to Asgard."

Tony looked shocked; he didn't know that it was worth looking into anymore; the god had already returned.

"I thought we trashed the idea."

"Well, Thor can't stay here forever. We'll need some way to communicate with him when he goes back to Asgard."

Tony shrugged, knowing his friend was right.

The doors for the elevator chimed open, revealing the kitchen/dining floor. Pepper was sitting at the island, reading the newspaper and sipping her coffee while trying not to laugh. Steve was attempting to work the stove, getting burned in the process, while Thor was yelling at the toaster, demanding it to give him his poptarts.

"GIVE THEM BACK YOU FOUL CREATURE! THEY ARE MINE! THO SHALL GET THEIR OWN!"

Bruce rushed over to prevent Thor from destroying the toaster, while Tony slouched over to sit beside Pepper.

"You did this on purpose, didn't you?"

She looked up at him innocently, but her flickering smile said it all.

"I asked him if he wanted to try the toaster. I didn't know he would do _that."_

She pointed to the god, who was trying to get past Bruce to hit the toaster with his hammer. Tony sighed, shook his head, then looked up at Steve, who was muttering obscenities under his breath at the stove. Finally, the soldier threw down the pan, and pulled himself into a chair in front of Pepper and Tony.

"I hate new technology."

Tony smiled, then looked over at the pan. He was reminded of someone...

"You know," he said. "I heard, while listening to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s chatter, that Agent Barton is a master chef. If we could get him to live here, he could make us food every morning."

Pepper looked up.

"You listen to S.H.I.E.L.D. chatter?"

"So I was thinking that today, we should call up old one eye and find out where our pet hawk is," continued Tony, ignoring Pepper's question.

Steve shrugged.

"Couldn't you just track his location like you did with me?"

Tony rolled his eyes.

"Uh, your location is open to the public. Legolas's on the other hand, is hidden under lock and key by S.H.I.E.L.D. Plus, I think he's on a mission."

Bruce's voice wafted over into the conversation.

"What about Natasha?"

Tony pulled a sour look onto his face.

"Her? Really? I think we'd be safer poking a sleeping bear. I think that if we get Barton here first, she'll be more willing to come. Besides, her location is unknown as well. Honestly, our only option is calling up Fury."

Pepper drained her coffee, rolled up the paper, then stood up.

"Well, have fun getting chewed out by Director Fury. I'm going to go into work. Do your best not to destroy the tower."

She leaned down, kissed Tony on the cheek, then waltzed out of the room, her strawberry blonde hair swishing behind her.

"She doesn't trust us, does she?" said Tony, shaking his head.

Steve looked like he wanted to say something, but thought better of it. Bruce rolled his eyes.

"So, friends, shall we call Director Fury? I am most anxious to see the man with Hawk's Eyes again," rumbled Thor while he devoured his now toasted poptarts.

Steve, Tony, and Bruce locked eyes in a silent but furious battle. Who would make the call? None of them wanted to call the Director, for he was notorious for using less than friendly words while denying whatever you were calling to ask about before you've even asked for it. Tony finally caved, and picked up his phone. He dialed the number (don't ask how he got it), placed the phone in the center of the counter, then put it on speakerphone.

The phone rang three times before someone answered.

"Hello?"

Tony took a deep breath, put on a sneaky smile, then said, "Hey there Nick."

The man on the other end of the line let out a string of swear words, then once he couldn't think of anymore in English, he switched over to French, then Spanish.

Tony snickered, Steve looked down right uncomfortable, and Bruce wore a weary smile.

"How the hell did you get this number Stark?"

"Wouldn't you like to know? Listen, Nick. I need a favor."

There were a few more swear words passed over the phone.

"Why the hell would I do something for you?"

"Because, the last time I checked, you owe me for saving the whole entire city of New York from a nuclear missile."

This time there was silence.

"I'm listening."

Tony's smile grew larger.

"So, I don't know if you've heard, but I've been recruiting the Avengers to come live in Stark Tower."

"YOU'VE WHAT?"

More swear words.

"Calm yourself, sir! If you keep this up, you'll blow out your other eye."

"STARK!"

"So, as I was saying, I've got Bruce, Steve, and Thor all living here, but you see, we're still missing our favorite master assassins. I was hoping you could tell us where they're at."

"That's classified."

"Yeah, I know. That's why I'm calling you. Their locations wouldn't show up when I hacked into S.H.I.E.L.D. last night."

Even more swear words.

"Yeah, so how about it? Will you let us know where Widow and Hawk are?"

"_Hell _no."

"Pretty please with a cherry on top? Come on man, I saved the world from a freaking alien invasion, and a delinquent god! Can't you just grant me this small favor?"

"You mean _we,_" mumbled Steve.

Director Fury sat in silence for a few moments.

"I'll give you one of their locations, but the other remains classified, deal?"

"Really?"

"Really. In fact, I'll give you a direct line to the assassin of your choice."

Bruce, Tony, Steve and Thor looked at each other.

"Barton."

"He's in Quito, Ecuador. Hang on a second, and I'll send you through. But Stark, do you know what you're doing?"

Tony laughed.

"Nope. That's the beauty of it."

As the phone started to ring again, Tony stared intently at the counter top, Steve pulled at a string on his shirt, Bruce drummed his fingers on his stool, and Thor nibbled on another poptart. The tenseness in the air was murderous.

The phone rang, and rang, and rang. Tony was about to hang up and recall Fury, when a voice suddenly came over the line. It sounded gruff, out of breath, and there was a pounding in the background, along with whimpering.

"Agent Barton. Authorization code: Beta5flower9red87bow. Requesting authorization code."

Bruce, Steve, and Tony stared at each other, while Thor looked up, a grin spread over his face.

"MAN OF HAWKES EYES!"

"_Thor? _What the-? Hang on a second."

They listened as there was a lot of pounding and thumping noises, someone yelled, there was a thwang of a bow, and then silence.

"Uh, Barton? You still there?"

They heard a click, and then someone breathing.

"Yeah. Still here. Was that Steve? Since when do you know how to use a phone?"

Steve smiled.

"We've been teaching him fairly well. Though I have to admit, he's been rather difficult. He hasn't quite gotten the hand of texting yet."

They heard Barton laugh.

"Well, Stark, I'm sure you'll get through to him eventually."

"I doubt it. We tried to get him to help us in the lab, but he just knocked over all of our formulas."

Barton laughed again.

"Well, Bruce, we can't have that now can we? Is there anyone else there that I should know about? Natasha's not there, is she?"

"No, sorry Hawk. We were hoping you could help us with that."

There was a puzzled silence from the other end.

"What are you talking about? And how'd you even get this number?"

"Fury gave it to us. And it's just me, Pepper, Bruce, Steve and Thor. Well, not Pep at the moment, but either way, we were kind of hoping that you'd join us in Stark Tower."

Barton began to laugh hysterically.

"You contacted Fury, just to talk to me? Wow, you seem a little desperate Stark! And what were you thinking? Getting everyone together at the tower? That could be dangerous. I'm surprised you haven't killed each other yet."

"So does that mean you'll come?"

"_Hell _no. Look, I'm sorry guys, but I go wherever S.H.I.E.L.D. needs me to go; I've never had a home, at least not that I can remember, and I don't plan on having one now. Not now, not ever."

Steve, Bruce, and Thor sighed, recognizing defeat, but Tony just smiled.

"I've got the world's largest archery station set up underground, but above the gym. It's got every bow and arrow known to man kept in stock."

They could practically hear Barton rethinking his decision.

"Do you have platforms and lasers?"

"Platforms, lasers, geographic change options, and a sensor computer."

"Look Tony, I'd love to, but-"

"Come on Clint! You'll get your own floor with roof top access. The air vents can fit two people side by side, and are equipped with ladders and hooks for easy use."

"Stark, I'm sorry. Even if I did agree to this insane idea, I would be living at the tower maybe six days every five months! I go wherever S.H.I.E.L.D. needs me to go, so I change missions every few months. There's hardly any down time, and even then I'm dragged in for debrief."

"I'll call Fury again, and see if you and Natasha can be put on like, permanent leave or something, and put on Avengers duty."

"_Avengers _duty? Sure, like he'll buy that."

"Actually, I think it sounds like a good idea."

Steve, Bruce, Thor, and Tony dropped their jaws as Fury's voice came over the line again.

"Uh, sir, I don't mean to be rude, but you _do _know that eavesdropping is supposed to be kept secret, right?"

"Oh shut up Barton. Stark, don't interrupt me, or I will give to orders to every assassin at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s disposal to hunt you down. I enjoy your idea of having all of the Avengers under one roof, but I want S.H.I.E.L.D. involved. If you hook up S.H.I.E.L.D.'s servers to JARVIS, that will make it easier for us to communicate, and give you the whereabouts about where we need you to go. For you and Romanoff, Barton, I'll lessen the amount of missions you have, if you agree to live at the tower. Be ready to leave at any time though; you're still going to have the occasional mission. I assume that you've taken out you're current target?"

"Yes sir I have."

"Take the next flight to New York. I'd like you there as soon as possible. Stark, you alright with this?"

"Yes, Nick, I am. Thanks."

"Stop calling me Nick, or I might send the rookies to attack the tower."

"Uh, sir, should I tell Tasha?"

"Unless you'd like me to."

"Well, can you? It's just that she's going to be pretty pissed that we made this decision without her."

"What decision? It's an order."

"Tell _her_ that. Stark, I'll be there early tomorrow morning. Guess this Hawk's getting a nest."


	6. Natasha

**I used google translate for the Russian translations, so I'm sorry if they're not 100% correct!**

* * *

Tony, Steve, Bruce, and Thor spent the rest of the day wandering about the tower, awaiting the arrival of the newest member of the tower. Pepper came back around lunchtime, surprised to see the men sitting in the living room, their eyes glassy and unfocused.

"What's wrong? Shouldn't you be halfway through your table tennis championship by now?" she asked.

Tony, who was sitting upside down in a chair with his feet over the back, looked over at her.

"Hawk is coming tonight, or tomorrow morning. Depending on how fast he moves."

"Well that's great! What about Natasha?"

Tony shrugged, but Steve spoke up.

"Fury said he'd tell her, but it sounded like she was away on a mission. She might not come for a while."

"Have they been cleared to stay, or is this temporary?"

Tony moaned, bored out of his mind, and too impatient to listen to the same conversation he had just a few hours ago. Pepper rolled her eyes as Tony slipped, headfirst, out of the chair and onto the ground, where he lay crumpled in an uncomfortable position, moaning, refusing to move.

"It's permanent, but they still have their duties as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, so they'll leave from time to time. Fury likes the idea of having us all in the same place though. He's going to set up a direct line between the tower and S.H.I.E.L.D. so we will have easy communication."

Steve had to talk increasingly louder, because as he spoke, Tony's moaning noises grew increasingly louder. The billionaire was bored out of his skull, and their words were making it worse. Bruce kicked Tony roughly in the ribs, but he just moaned even louder. Steve shared an annoyed glance with Pepper; Tony was like a little child, and they, the parents.

"Tony, will you shut up?"

"mmmmmmmmmmmeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh."

"Tony."

"EEEEhhhhhhhhhhhhhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmeeeerrrrrrr."

"_Tony._"

"ERRRRRMMMMMMMMHHHHHHMMMMMEEEERRRHHHHH."

"Bruce, kick him again."

"Pepper!"

"Steve."

"Bruce!"

"Thor!"

Thor looked around at his arguing comrades. He wanted his name in the mix too. Steve, Pepper, and Bruce looked at the happy Asgardian, and shook their heads.

"Tony. Get up. We'll think of something to do, okay?" said Bruce.

From his uncomfortable position on the ground, Tony opened one bleary eye.

"Wherte abre hewe hgioig tfer berh?"

"What do you want to do?" asked Pepper.

Steve, Bruce, and Thor looked at her, wondering how the heck she understood him. She blinked back at them.

"What? When you've been around him long enough, you learn to speak Tony. It's a difficult language, believe me, but you'll catch on eventually."

She turned back to the incapacitated genius.

"Tony, what do you want to do?"

"Emoiffe."

"What movie?"

"Hejamers Erbongde."

"Which James Bond?"

Steve rolled his eyes.

"Carsinco Borayle."

Pepper gave a small smile as she shook her head.

"Everyone up for Casino Royale?"

Bruce shrugged agreement, while Steve shook his head and Thor looked like an eager puppy. Suddenly Tony popped up, as eager as ever.

"Four against one. James Bond wins. Pepper, if you would please put in the movie. Bruce, if you would be so kind as to get the poptarts. Steve, you're on drinks. Thor, help me with the blankets; we're making a fort. Everyone, move out!"

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Steve, Thor, Bruce, and Tony were all comfortable in their own hidden coves of the fort, while Pepper sat on the couch, refusing to participate in their childish antics. The fort was probably the best blanket/pillow fort ever made, due to the fact that it was constructed by two of the greatest minds alive.

Each fort was like it's own little cave, constructed from blankets hanging from the ceiling and pillows piled on top of one another to create barriers. Tony called them 'dog houses' and that's basically what they looked like. You could lay out in the entrance on your stomach to watch the movie, or you could crawl inside and curl up, while still being able to see the screen.

Each fort was custom made; Steve's was made of red, white, and blue blankets, and gold pillows. Bruce's was constructed with brown, green, and purple blankets, with camouflage patterned pillows. Thor's was made of red, gold, and navy blue, with silver pillows to match his hammer. Tony made his fort red and gold, plain and simple, but his pillows were a bluish white, with his arc reactor design on them.

Once everyone had a bag of popcorn and their own drink, the four men crawled into their forts, sighing appreciatively. Pepper clucked her tongue and rolled her eyes. Tony, who wasn't about to leave her out, made a quick hammock out of a soft pink plush blanket. She made some half hearted attempts at denying the hammock, but Tony picked her up, and put her in it, against her wishes.

When the movie began, any lingering feelings of boredom were extinguished, as James Bond came upon the screen.

* * *

Because it was James Bond, and you couldn't just stop at one, the group unanimously agreed upon watching Quantum of Solace, and then Skyfall. Steve really enjoyed the movies, and secretly became a fully fledged James Bond fan. He would watch all of the movies in secret, because he didn't think he could stand Tony's remarks.

Skyfall finished around seven, and Pepper became adamant that they got some real food; they had eaten all of the popcorn and had resorted to eating Thor's poptarts, with the god's graces, of course. Still, they were all starting to feel a little sluggish, so Tony came up with another game plan.

"Alright my little James Bondians, here it is; Pepper, take orders for that really good shawarma restaurant a few blocks from here, and then call and order. Also, get something a little extra; not completely sure when Hawk's going to get here, and I don't think he'd be too happy if he found out we had shawarma without him. Bruce, you and I can go to the store and refill our popcorn, poptart, and drink supply. Steve, you and puppy face point break can go pick up the shawarma. When everyone returns, we'll watch Die Another Day. Team, move out!"

Pepper scoffed, and rolled her eyes, then moved to get a notepad and phone. Steve turned to Thor, who was still trying to determine if what Tony had said was an insult or not. Eventually he just shrugged it off. Bruce moved to the kitchen, taking note of any other supplies they needed. Tony smiled dully at them all, excited for the great night they were about to have.

* * *

They all crashed around 2:30 in the morning. They watched Die Another Day, From Russia With Love, and Goldfinger. Pepper was still in her hammock, but Tony had gotten a little too claustrophobic in his 'dog house', so he constructed another hammock to hang next to Pepper. The rest of the guys were sleeping comfortably in their forts, curled up and warm inside. The leftovers from their shawarma dinner littered the floor, as well as several popcorn bags, poptart wrappers, and drink cans.

On the roof, a dark figure landed softly. It attached a grappling hook to the side of the building, then shimmied down the rope to the first window. It took some device from out of it's pocket, attached it to the window, then hung there while the machine did it's work. After about a minute, the figure took the device off of the window, then pushed on the glass. It gave way, leaving the perfect sized hole for the figure to climb through.

Once inside, the figure did a quick survey of the room; it was a deep purple, with black accents, and there were targets all over the walls, ceiling, and floor. There was a catwalk covering part of the ceiling, and the figure spotted a roof top access point. The figure shook its head, then moved towards the stairway.

The figure located the room that all of the Avengers were currently sleeping in. It slipped in, then flipped on the light, removing it's black hood at the same time.

Clint Barton's blondish brown hair was spiked up from his sweat, and he breathed a sigh of relief as he pulled off his equipment. He didn't have much on him now, just his mission attire; the rest of his supplies he was going to get from base the next day. He sat down on a metal stool, and took in the sight before him.

He had to physically restrain his laughter; the fort looked insane in the eyes of the new comer. Hands and feet lay awkwardly out of the entrances, and two people were wrapped like body bags in a couple of makeshift hammocks. He chuckled as he realized they had made a mini fortress, but it could be improved; he made a mental note to teach them how to make a proper fort sometime in the near future.

Clint looked around for some scrap of food, and found a container with his name written across it. He smiled as he opened it up and his favorite shawarma food. He poured himself some Pepsi, and turned on the coffee maker. A fun and wonderful thought grew in his head as he settled into his meal, and he couldn't wait to get started, but first, shawarma.

* * *

Tony groaned. He stretched his arms out in front of him, and made to stand up, but instead found himself face first on the ground. He raised an eyebrow, and then remembered he had spent the night in a hammock. He pushed himself off of the floor, and then froze. _What was that amazing smell?_

He glanced around the room, but everyone was gone. Shrugging, he followed his nose, still half asleep, to the kitchen. It led him straight and true.

Steve, Bruce, and Thor, sat around the bar, shoveling pancake after pancake into their mouths. Pepper was chatting animatedly to someone out of sight, her voice mixing with the sweet sound of the bacon sizzling. Tony walked a little deeper into the room, and found Clint Barton, master assassin and archer, flipping pancakes in one hand, and cooking the bacon in the other. He was also engaged in a conversation with Pepper, and keeping the rest of the Avengers well supplied with food.

"Barton?"

Clint looked up and smiled, his stormy green grey eyes crinkling in their mischievous way.

"Mr. Stark."

Tony blinked, looked around, and opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it, thinking better of it. He rolled back his shoulders, and made his way over to sit beside Bruce, where an empty plate sat waiting for him. Clint immediately loaded up Tony's plate with five pancakes, set a container of syrup next to him, and then poured him a glass of black coffee. Tony watched Clint, dumbstruck at this sudden change in life at the tower. Nonetheless, Tony dug into his breakfast, realizing early on that they were the best pancakes he had ever eaten.

As Tony cleared his plate, Clint dumped on even more pancakes, and despite his internal protests, Tony devoured even more. Everyone ate until they couldn't eat anymore, and then some. They were all thoroughly happy with Clint's cooking, and then began peppering him with questions about what they were having for lunch. Clint just laughed, telling them that it was a secret. Clint moved to clean up the dishes, while Pepper and the rest of the Avengers sat at the table behind him, sipping water and coffee.

"So, Clint," began Pepper. "When'd you get here?"

Clint tilted his head behind his shoulder to hear her better.

"Uh, probably around three or four. Somewhere in between there. I hopped on a cargo plane, and that took me to about thirty miles west of here, and from then on I just walked. I could see this tower even before we landed. I'm just glad Tony didn't paint it red and gold."

Tony made a face at the archer, while Pepper nodded. Steve looked up, interested.

"How'd your mission go?"

Clint's faced closed off a little, but he replied anyways.

"Good. Mark was taken down. Clean shot. No evidence. Short and simple."

Everyone stole a quick glance at him as his information settled around the room. Clint didn't seem to notice.

"So, how's everyone been?"

Pepper shook her head, pulling her out of her stupor.

"Oh, it's been great. We've got some stories to tell, but we might want to wait until Natasha comes; Tony hates repeating things twice apparently."

Tony made a choking noise, and rolled his eyes.

"Speaking of Natasha, do you have any idea as to when that red head will be arriving?"

With those words, Clint looked a little squeamish.

"Uh, you see, I don't know if she will be coming. She wasn't, er, rather _enthusiastic _about being forced to live in the tower. In fact, if I understood correctly, she cursed in every language she knew before kicking down a wall, and then threw her phone out of a window. If S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't have a policy against killing people at will, a lot of people would be dead."

Tony looked up, upset.

"What? You mean she won't come? Aw come on! We just need her and then the whole team will be assembled! Can't you use your super ultra spy persuasion techniques to get her to come?"

Now it was Clint's turn to roll his eyes.

"Seriously Tony? It's not that simple-"

He paused mid-sentence, for the stairway doors had just been thrown open. Everyone heard the drop of a bag, and they were just about to turn around, when someone spoke.

_"Clinton. Francis. Barton."_

Clint gulped, then carefully turned around. No one else dared to look behind them. Pepper screamed as a knife came whizzing out of nowhere, skimming Clint's ear, then sticking into the wall.

Clint swore loudly, then hoped up onto the counter, accidentally kicking a few coffee mugs off of the counter. He ran to the end, rolled forward and onto the ground, and then popped back up, using the bar as cover.

Not daring to turn around, Steve, Tony, Bruce, Pepper, and even Thor, sat quite still, shaking on the inside as they heard the clear sound of someone approaching from behind. A woman moved into view, barely clearing five feet and skinny as a twig, but built with strong muscles, and an ego that broadcasted that she wasn't someone to be messed with. Her fiery red hair reached her lower back, bringing out the gold flecks in her deep green eyes. She was wearing a standard navy blue S.H.I.E.L.D. suit with matching combat boots, and a red hourglass buckled across her stomach. She also had several pistols strapped to her waist and legs, as well as several knives. Right now her face was set with a look of pure anger and disgust, and she was fingering several pairs of knives quite maliciously.

Clint peeked his head out from around the edge of the corner, but withdrew a second later, for she had sent a knife directly where his face had been.

"Come on Tasha. This wasn't me. Fury ordered this, not me."

Natasha hissed, then began moving quietly around the counter. Tony leaned back, excited to watch the show.

"Вы дали ему идею," she rolled off in Russian. (**you gave him the idea**)

Clint, sensing her movements, stood up, dodged another knife, then circled around the table as well, always keeping an equal distance from his angry partner.

"Я не думаю, что это произойдет," Clint mumbled. (**I did not think it would happen**)

Natasha rolled her eyes.

"но теперь мы застряли здесь с этими идиотами!" (**yet now we're stuck here with these idiots!**)

It was Clint's turn to get mad.

"Эти люди не идиоты! Они мои друзья, и ваша тоже." (**These people aren't idiots! They are my friends, and yours too.**)

Natasha hissed, while Tony, who was frustrated that he couldn't understand what they were saying, pulled open google translate. When he figured out what Natasha had said, he yelled out.

"Hey! That's not funny!"

That earned him a knife next to his hand, and another that went by so close, it sliced off a section of his hair. He shut up.

"Quid vidisti? Convenienter ad hoc?" Natasha spat. (**What were you thinking? Agreeing to this?**)

She switched over to Latin, trying to confuse Tony.

"Ego, qui forte aliquis tandem downtime potest simul," whispered Clint, calming his voice and putting a hint of passion behind his words. (**I was thinking, that maybe, we could finally get some downtime together.**)

Natasha stopped in her tracks, not expecting that answer from her partner.

"Really?" she murmured.

Clint moved towards her, his arms outstretched in surrender.

"Really."

She wouldn't smile back, but it was enough for Clint. He eased the weapons out of her hands, while Pepper stood up to embrace the assassin. Natasha accepted a hug from Pepper, mostly because she knew that there was no evil intent behind her actions, but when Tony stood up to wrap his arms around her, Natasha gave him such a cold glare that he sat back down and hid behind Pepper. Natasha gave Bruce, Steve, and Thor a simple handshake, then turned to help Clint clean up the mess they had made. Everyone sat in silence as the two assassins finished cleaning up, but Bruce decided to break it first.

"So, Natasha. How've you been?"

The red head looked up, trying to see if he was trying to provoke her or whether he was just being nice. She decided he was just being nice.

"Oh, well, okay. Really busy though. It amazes me how many people have gotten their hands on chitauri armory."

Tony peeked out from around Pepper, intrigued.

"What, you mean people stole the aliens and their equipment?"

Natasha shared a glance with Clint, and they both nodded. Tony shook his head, speechless.

"Where were you on assignment?" Steve asked.

Natasha shrugged.

"Lots of places, but they're all classified. They were mostly dealing with 0-8-4s."

Everyone except Clint looked up.

"0-8-4s?" Bruce said quizzically.

Natasha nodded.

"It's an object or item, that we can't quite explain or understand. That's what it's classified as until we can understand what it actually is," explained Clint.

Bruce and Steve nodded. Tony suddenly stood up, as though he had been sitting on hot coals.

"You guys! I just realized. We have everyone in the tower now. You know what that means?"

Steve and Bruce shared worried glances. Thor looked mildly interested. Pepper just rolled her eyes. Natasha looked like she was contemplating shooting Tony, while Clint was seriously considering climbing into the air vents.

Tony took a deep breath, and a sly smiled crawled onto his mouth.

"Laser Tag time!"

* * *

**Wow. I have 16 reviews on this story. That's the most I've ever gotten on a story. Thank you people!**

**Does everyone remember the device that Tony and Bruce attempted to make to 'call' Thor? Well... I have an idea, but I don't know what you all think. Would anyone like to see Loki join the crew?**


	7. Decisions

**Did I say 16 reviews? I meant 37. People are amazing creatures, are they not?**

**So, speaking of people, you all both like and dislike the idea of Loki. To be honest, I've never written Loki before, but I know that if he does eventually make an appearance, he's not going to be the king of pranks, but more than likely the target of improvised ammunition, courtesy of Clint and Natasha.**

* * *

Everyone just stared at Tony, 'NO' written all over their faces. Pepper just stood up and walked away to some other floor of the building. Now that Natasha and Clint were here to provide some authority over Tony, Pepper was more than happy walking away and leaving them to deal with his insane ideas. She'd had about enough for one month. Natasha didn't want Pepper to go, leaving her alone with everyone she deemed below her level of maturity, and she almost left with her, but Clint caught her eye, indicating that he wasn't exactly comfortable in the situation without Natasha.

Steve shook his head, then chanced a glance at Bruce. Bruce looked at him, then into Tony's unnaturally bright eyes. You could tell that he had been planning this for a while, and Steve and Bruce didn't know how to put it gently that there was no way in the world that they were going to participate in laser tag.

Thor, on the other hand, had different ideas.

"Friend Stark! I wish to compete in this game of tags and lasers!"

Tony turned to him, then to the others, practically begging them to follow Thor's example. Bruce looked into Tony's pitiful eyes, and caved.

"I'm really starting to think that moving here was a bad idea. Screw it, count me in Stark."

Steve looked at Bruce in disbelief, stunned for just a moment, before turning to the assassins he barely knew for help. Natasha's eyes were slanted, studying the situation, while Clint was leaning back, a wicked smile on his mouth. Out of all of the Avengers, Clint was the one person that Steve knew the least, besides Natasha, but Steve got the feeling that the archer liked causing a little trouble. He was therefore surprised when Clint didn't agree to Tony's idea.

"Look," started Tony. "I had a plan to get you all to come live here, didn't I? You all said that it wouldn't end well, and that New York would be destroyed, but we're doing pretty well so far, aren't we? So why don't you all trust me?"

Natasha's eyes bored into him, and he gulped. "Stark, we've all been together approximately sixteen minutes. There hasn't been enough time for us to kill each other yet. Secondly, _laser tag. _Not exactly a good idea considering the possibilities. We're not doing it."

Steve nodded, then saw Clint lean back even farther in his chair, the front legs coming slightly off the ground. Bruce was rethinking his decision, and Thor looked slightly somber, though it was nothing compared to the look on Tony's face. Tears were forming in the creases of his eyes, and his bottom lip was stuck out as far as it would go.

Steve saw this. He didn't know how to react. He saw Tony as a pitiful, young child, lonely, and without love. One glance at Bruce, and Steve could tell he was thinking the same thing.

"Ugh, fine! But you have to teach me how to play," mumbled Steve, his insides caving at the look Natasha was giving him. Bruce nodded, and looked at the two spies, realizing they were the only two who were now opposed to the idea. Tony turned his wet eyes on them.

Clint was looking anywhere but at the team, while Natasha was taking turns boring into each of them, pride welling inside as each flinched slightly.

"Fine, you all can go and destroy everything, but Clint and I are going to sit this out, preferably with Pepper."

"But you can't! It'll be a team building exercise!" whined Tony.

"Stark, you don't understand do you? We aren't going to participate in your little game. I'm mad enough that I'm practically under house arrest."

"You know, why don't you want to be here? It seems that I've neglected to ask you that question," dared Tony, dropping his puppy dog manner.

Natasha's eyes narrowed. "I don't want to be here because of you, and everyone else. I'm not a team person! I don't trust any of you. Take it personally if you like, but it's true. It's like living in a house filled with dangerous strangers."

Everyone was now staring straight at her. Tony rolled his eyes.

"But you do know us, and we're not dangerous, not to you at least. And you are a team person? How do you explain Barton, or when you helped out in New York?"

Barton leaned back even more, his fingertips keeping him from falling. He removed his eyes from Natasha, and became apparently interested in the ceiling.

Natasha snorted, then growled "Working with Barton isn't like working with a team. I don't trust team members, but I trust Barton." She chanced a look at the archer. "New York, well, I don't know what the hell I was doing. Once I got Barton back, the plan was to step away, but it all got too personal. Either way, I don't do teams, and I'm not doing laser tag."

"What do you mean it got too personal?" Tony asked. He knew immediately that he crossed a line.

Clint brought the front legs of the chair back down with a crash, while Natasha looked down, away from Tony since she had first spoken, and a knife magically appeared in her hands. Tony shut his mouth.

Steve, however, spoke up. "Romanoff, you say you don't trust us, and I don't blame you, but why would a little game of laser tag hurt? Whatever, laser tag actually is. Unless it does hurt, then count me out."

The team looked at him, slightly amused. Natasha shot a glance at Clint, who shrugged, making the movement small enough so that only she noticed. She, in return, shook her head, Clint's eyes catching the tiny movement. He glared at her, giving her the 'how bad could it be' look. She sighed, then turned back to Tony, who caught on, and was now looking at them again with his puppy-like face. She shot him a look.

"You know what, fine. We're in. You all are going to be sorry though when Clint and I kick all of your butts."

Tony lept up from his chair and punched the air. "I am AWESOME!" he yelled.

Everyone just rolled their eyes.

"So when do we start?" Steve asked the now silent room.

Suddenly the clicking of heels filled the room. Pepper had finally come down from an upper floor, sensing that it was safe to show her face again.

She was wrong.

Tony clicked a button, and the lights in the room went out. Every light in the tower was extinguished, and no light entered through the windows. Everything was black.

Pepper gasped, and several of the Avengers yelled. Tony just laughed.

"Guns and gear are in the lab. Tower is in total lock down. No one can get in or out. You have four chances, and lives are interchangeable. Teams and allies are accepted, and encouraged, but the last person standing wins. We play until only one remains, even if it takes a week. Bathrooms, the kitchen, and lab are off limits, so no shooting in them. Also, no actual weapons. Capsicle and DemiGod aren't ready for that yet."

He paused dramatically.

"Let the first annual Laser Tag games, begin!"

* * *

**Hehehe. This is going to be fun. Any ideas on what other things the Avengers would do in the tower? I'm thinking of a swimming pool. Maybe.**


	8. Let The Games Begin

Mayhem. It was practically World War 3. Thor stumbled blindly through the dark, knocking things over, before running straight into a wall. Bruce stayed where he was and took a few deep breaths, knowing good and well that this could end very badly. Steve tried to find Tony, but the elusive billionaire had already begun to make his way to the lab. Pepper was just standing where she was, shaking her head, cursing Tony under his breath. Natasha, when the lights had gone out, had immediately taken to the floor, with Clint beside her. They had squirmed over to the cabinets, and now sat with their backs against them, trying to form a plan.

Eventually everyone got a grip on themselves, and collectively tried to locate the elevator. They found it rather quickly. Once they opened it up, light poured out of it, and they graciously huddled inside. Bruce hit the button for the lab, and they all looked at each other, their eyes still adjusting due to the brightness of the elevator.

Pepper and Bruce were pale, while Thor's face was ruddy and slightly bruised from his head long collision into the wall. Steve's eyes were filled with worry, while Natasha and Clint wore blank expressions. Bruce suddenly got an idea.

"JARVIS, you there?"

"As usual, sir."

Bruce grinned. "Let's make this easier, alright? Lock down all floors except for our rooms, the kitchen, lab, gym, and three other random floors, alright?"

"Will do sir."

There was a few mumbled thank yous, but everyone grew silent again. Once they neared the lab, the music from Jaws began to play. Pepper cursed loudly, and everyone stared at her.

"What?" she exclaimed. "It's my least favorite movie! Do you _know_ how scary it is?"

Clint giggled, and Natasha hit him in the ribs with her elbow. He winced, then gave her a look, rubbing his side.

The lab doors opened slowly, and dramatically. Natasha held out her arm, and bravely entered the room first. Clint came next, clearing her sides that she couldn't see. Thor, followed by Pepper, followed by Bruce, all stepped into the darkness of the lab.

When they walked in, a blue light flickered on, illuminating a table deep into the room. The group cautiously walked forward, sensing a trap. Once they got to the table, the doors to the elevator closed, leaving them unable to see beyond the circle of light. Guns of all shapes and sizes were laid out on the table, modified of course, for the game of laser tag. There were also vests, ear coms, and sunglasses.

Natasha didn't know what the glasses were for, until she slipped a pair on, and found herself nearly blinded.

"Night vision," she said aloud.

They all gathered around the gear, and picked up the items they preferred.

Bruce grabbed a vest, and a light, medium sized laser gun. He slipped it over his shoulder, and placed a pair of night vision goggles into his pocket. He also grabbed a smaller gun, and strapped it around his arm. Steve grabbed two, powerful looking laser guns that he handled with ease, as well as a vest, and a set of glasses. Thor grabbed the biggest gun there was. He slipped on some glasses, but had to loosen the vest a little before he put it on. Natasha picked up a good sized gun, but grabbed two tiny guns and replaced them with her actual guns in her holsters. She threw the actual guns underneath the table, slipped on a vest as well as a pair of glasses. Pepper hesitantly picked up a weapon, grabbing a small pistol like gun, and huffingly pulled on a vest and glasses. Clint grabbed a sniper-like gun, and strapped two large guns to his back, as well as a small one. He pulled on a vest and sunglasses.

A sudden realization hit the group. They were all on their own. They looked at each other, realizing what was going to happen once they left this floor.

"We could always go after Tony and split up after we take him down?" suggested Steve, sensing the tense silence.

Natasha shook her head. "I don't want to do that to you all. We should split now. It'll be fair, and no feelings will be hurt." She didn't want to add that she didn't trust any of them not to turn on her.

Steve set his jaw and nodded. Bruce slowly leaned towards the darkness, while Thor just stared, unaware of what to do next.

"Before we leave, how do you operate this thing?" asked Thor. Bruce smiled, then walked over to help. Steve listened in, and soon learned the rules of laser tag. When the three looked up, surprisingly, Natasha, Clint, and Pepper were still there. Bruce half expected them to leave.

"So, who wants to leave first?" Clint asked the group, casually leaning against the table. Steve saw Clint's hand search backwards on the table, then stop. He looked up and saw Clint looking at him. Steve grinned, then looked away from the archer. Bruce studied Clint for a second, then stepped forward.

"I'll go. Just in case Tony is out there waiting for bait."

"Bruce-"

"No. I can handle him. Trust me."

With that, Bruce stood up, and made his way through the dark to the elevator. With a flash of light, he was gone. Thor followed five minutes later without a word. Steve turned to speak to Natasha and Clint, but Clint had vanished. Pepper realized this as well, and they both looked at Natasha. She raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"I thought you two would team up."

"Actually, I turned him down for Pepper."

Pepper's eyes widened, but she smiled.

"I'm honored. Well, you want to go next?"

"Nah. Steve does though." She gave Steve a pointed glare.

"Uh. Yeah. I'll go next." He looked quizzically at the two, but entered the elevator nonetheless.

Pepper and Natasha stood in silence for a few seconds, before Pepper turned to her fellow partner.

"Okay, what's- AH!"

Pepper screamed as someone dropped from the ceiling. Natasha laughed, then helped the man to his feet.

"Alright, your gonna have to cut out the screaming Pep. If we're going to take down the rest of the team, we're going to need the element of surprise," Tony said with a smile stretching on his face.

Pepper recovered from her near heart attack, then glanced at Natasha.

"You ready?"

Natasha nodded, a little uneasy, but willingly ready to join the alliance, so the three left for the elevator.

As darkness filled the room once again, another shape dropped from the ceiling, this time from the air vent. Clint smiled, then slipped an ear com in place and strode to the elevator.

* * *

**So is Natasha leaving Clint to fend for himself? Will Natasha be able to deal with Tony? Can Thor get to his poptarts in time? Oh wait. I wasn't supposed to tell you that. Pshh... What poptarts? I don't know what you're talking about...**


	9. Day 1

**Let's just assume that air vents are a lot quicker than elevators. Like at least five minutes faster. Because it's Clint.**

* * *

Bruce selected to go to one of the rooms that JARVIS had chosen randomly. He had a feeling that Tony was lying in wait for an unsuspecting victim, so he tensed up when the elevator doors opened. Bruce readied his gun, flicked on his night vision glasses, then stepped out into the darkness.

There wasn't much, just a few pieces of furniture here and there. Bruce suspected that it was a storage room, ready for use whenever Tony needed it. He spotted a small lamb on top of a bookshelf, and wound his way to it. He flicked the switch, and was mildly surprised when a soft light illuminated part of the room. He pulled off his glasses, and looked around, checking for Tony, or anyone else.

He seemed to be alone, but still moved cautiously about, just to make sure. Once he confirmed he was by himself, Bruce made his way back to the bookshelf. He created a sort of fort around it, shielding him from the view of the elevator. He lay against the wall, trying to think of a plan to get food, when his eyes fell upon the books stacked neatly on the shelf.

He laid his gun aside, and pulled one out. He settled comfortably into place, then opened it up. He could get food later.

* * *

"Where do you think the others went?" asked Pepper as they rode the elevator upwards.

Their plan was to raid the kitchen, and then find a place to make camp.

Natasha shrugged. "Anywhere I guess. Bruce locked down everywhere except for our rooms, the kitchen, gym, lab, and I think three other rooms. I have a feeling someone might be in the kitchen, but you never know. Tony, did you see which way Clint took off?"

"Nah, sorry. I blinked, and he was gone. The guy is creepy. Do you think that he'd be beneficial to our cause?"

Natasha smirked. "Knew he'd pull something like that. He was a little mad when I told him I was turning him down for Pepper. He might help us out though, depending on whether or not he feels like it."

"I haven't really met him. All I know is that he's one hell of a cook," Tony said, rubbing his stomach.

"He is, isn't he? Well, there's not much to learn about him, other than the fact that he keeps everything a secret."

"Like you?"

"Don't push it Stark. Be glad that I didn't take you out and leave with Pepper on my own."

Tony made a face, and Natasha rolled her eyes. The bickering would have surely continued, but the doors to the elevator opened, revealing the kitchen. Pepper's, Tony's, and Natasha's jaws dropped. It looked like a tornado had gone through the place.

"What the hell?" Tony mumbled, stepping over a pulverized orange and into the room.

"Did Bruce get a little angry?" Natasha asked, pulling up her gun and checking the room.

"If he did, let's hope he made it back to his room. I wouldn't fancy facing him in the dark," Pepper said as she shivered slightly.

Tony walked over to the fridge and found that the milk jug had been smashed on the inside, and the strawberry jam looked as if it had exploded. Tony wasn't sure how it happened, but he knew that something wasn't right. If Bruce had been here and had hulked out, then the whole fridge would have been busted up, not just the inside. Tony grew uneasy.

"Romanoff, is the room clear?" Tony turned around and found the redhead standing stiffly in the corner of the room, aiming her gun at the other side of the bar, where Tony couldn't see. "Romanoff? Is someone there?"

Natasha looked up. "What? Oh, no. There's no one here. I was just checking. The room is clear. Is there anything left to salvage?"

She walked over to Tony and Pepper, who were now gathering around the cabinets.

"The stuff has just been thrown around. Luckily we have the food stores in our rooms that we can check."

Tony's eyes glazed over as he focused on a box on a counter. Pepper and Natasha looked at it, then laughed. It was a box of poptarts. Tony made his way over to it, and made to pick it up.

Suddenly something huge came crashing out from the other side of the room, yelling, and knocking things over as it headed straight at Tony. Tony screamed, jumped back, and took shelter behind the cabinets, while the creature grabbed up the box of poptarts and a gun that had been laying unnoticed, and made a break for the elevator. Natasha, who had been relatively unsurprised, took aim at it.

The elevator doors closed quickly, but not fast enough. The vest around Thor lit up as Natasha's laser found it's mark.

* * *

Thor had one thought, and one thought only. Poptarts. As soon as Bruce left, Thor made his way to the elevator, knowing that if he didn't leave soon, someone else was sure to beat him to his desired food. He was extremely happy when he realized that no one had yet ventured to the kitchen, and took his time grazing before getting to his beloved poptarts. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't the only person with food on their mind.

While he was wolfing down a leftover enchilada, he didn't notice the air vent move behind him. He didn't notice anything, until a voice that was scarily close spoke.

"You going to share that?"

Thor jumped a mile into the air, knocking the container to the floor. Clint sat on the counter, doubled over with laughter. Thor lunged for his gun, and Clint shut up, eyeing him carefully.

"Come on Thor. You don't want to do that. I'm not threatening you, am I?"

Thor narrowed his eyes at the man, unsure of whether or not he should trust him. Clint stared at him innocently.

"Seriously Thor. I wouldn't shoot me. Not when I have these." Clint held up a box of poptarts.

Thor's eyes widened. "Give those up, Sir Barton! I claim them as my own in this relm! Do not test me!"

Thor lunged for the box, but Clint stood up, flipped over the counter, and pulled a gun from out of nowhere.

"Look. We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. It's your choice."

Thor snarled, then lunged for his food again.

"Guess it's that hard way."

Clint leaped up back on to the counter, then over to the refrigerator. He opened the door to help propel him upwards, but Thor ran straight into the door. Clint laughed, while Thor mumbled "Again?"

Shaking his head, Thor grabbed a jar from inside, and threw it at Clint, but he dodged it easily, lept over Thor, then rolled to the elevator. Ignoring his gun, Thor began to throw anything that he could find at the Hawk, including fruits, and even yogurt. Clint was constantly moving to avoid the flying objects, but he didn't seem to be growing tired. He just kept laughing as Thor kept throwing.

They didn't notice the elevator open. Steve walked in, took one look around, turn back to the elevator, and left. He wasn't dealing with that mess.

The rampage carried on for a few minutes, before Thor finally landed and apple on Clint's head. Clint dropped the box of poptarts, which landed on the table counter. Thor made his way to them, but Clint swiped his legs out from under him, making him fall to the ground with a very loud crash. They were both about to get up and continue the fight, when they noticed that the elevator was stopping. On their floor.

Abandoning everything, the two ran over to the opposite side of the room, where there was plenty of objects to hide under. Clint took the bar, while Thor hid behind a chair. They both held their breath as the sounds of Pepper, Tony, and Natasha reached their ears. Thor was very worried as Natasha crept closer, and nearly gave himself up as he saw her eyes on him, but she merely smiled and moved over to the bar. He watched on as Natasha neared Clint, pretending as if she didn't see him. She moved so close, until she was standing directly above him. Clint reached up his arm and handed her something, but Thor couldn't see what it was. She smiled, then tensed up as Tony called her name.

Thor listened to them search around for food, and when he saw Tony move over to his poptarts, he couldn't stay still anymore. He snapped, lept up yelling, grabbed the box and his gun, and ran for the elevator. He heard his vest emit a strange sound, and as the doors closed, he saw Natasha's gun on him. He drew his face in confusion; she had supposedly passed him by, so why would she shoot at him now? He did not understand, but right now, he didn't really care. He had his hands on a box of poptarts, and he planned on guarding them with his life.

He didn't know where the elevator was taking him, therefore he was mildly surprised when the doors opened and he found himself entering the room that Tony had declared was Thor's. It was god-like, with pillars, and golden wallpaper. Thor moved in, and threw himself down onto the humongous bed. He didn't mind the games, because he had poptarts.

* * *

Steve had first gone to an uninhabited floor, which he discovered was the pool room. There was an at least 14 foot swimming pool, that gradually increased to about 2 feet. There was no where to walk, only water, so rather than jump in, he just pressed the button for the kitchen. He needed food anyways.

His mind was changed, however, when the doors opened up to a very angry Thor, and a slightly amused Clint. When he saw that there was a rather messy food fight going on, he just jabbed the button for his room, and watched tiredly as the door closed. He was beginning to think that laser tag wasn't an all together good idea.

The doors opened up to a red white and blue room, with similar accents as the other rooms, but fitted with a punching bag and training mat. Steve made his way to the kitchen portion, and pulled out a glass bottle of coca cola. He glanced around at his room, realizing how open it was to attack. He rearranged the bed slightly, so that he could lay behind it, hidden from view. As he sat there, he began to wonder about possible allies. Obviously that was what was needed if he was going to win this game.

* * *

**I can't decide. Should Bruce and Steve team up, or do you like the idea of the science bros? And I have a feeling that someone is up to something sneaky. I bet that you can guess who.**


	10. Day 2

**So I need help. I'm writing, and writing, and writing, and my documents manager is filling up. Is there a way that you can combine chapters into one document? Or am I just out of luck? Ugh, writer problems...**

* * *

Tony turned to Natasha and raised his gun. "What the hell Natasha? You were supposed to sweep the room!"

"I did! I guess I missed him! God Stark, it's not that big of a deal!"

"Are you kidding me!? This is _war, _Romanoff, in case you haven't noticed! Besides, aren't you the freaking super spy? Isn't it your job to make sure the room is clear!?"

"Tony, calm down,"

"NO PEPPER I WILL NOT CALM DOWN!"

"Don't cut into me when I'm talking-"

"Oh my god Pepper, this isn't the time!"

"No, now is the perfect time!"

Natasha droned out her two bickering comrades as she watched a shadow move up towards the air vent. Clint tapped his ear, and Natasha made sure that her ear com was in place. She nodded as Clint disappeared into the ceiling. Natasha smiled then turned to Tony and Pepper, who were still arguing noisily.

"No Pepper, I agree, that was a stupid remark, but that doesn't mean-"

"Yes it does Tony! I can't even believe that you would think that!"

"Hey. Guys. GUYS!" Pepper and Tony looked up. "Uh, it's getting kind of late. I think that we should find a place to camp tonight."

"Uh, hold up there Romanoff. I still don't believe that you're telling us the whole truth."

"Seriously Tony? I shot Thor. Why wouldn't I have taken him down if I had seen him?"

"Uh, I don't know, maybe it's because you've _formed an alliance with him?"_

Natasha laughed an icy cold laugh. "Yeah, I turned down Clint to go with Pepper and was a double agent the whole time because I've teamed up with Thor. Brilliant theory, Sherlock."

"What if you didn't want to shoot him when you saw him and then shot him later because you're using us?"

"Why would I do that!? Pepper, smack some sense into your boyfriend."

"She is right, Tony. How about we just move on. We can go back to one of our rooms and make camp there tonight, okay?"

Tony made a face at Natasha, and she snarled at him, but they both joined Pepper at the elevator. Pepper hit the button for Tony's room, and soon they were all stretching out comfortably on the floor in his room, keen to get some rest after that nerve racking day.

* * *

Clint crawled through the air vents, smiling. His plan was going quite nicely, but in order for it to go into full effect, she was going to have to be taken out. He didn't like the idea, but it had to happen. She was too close, and intelligent, so for their sake, she needed to be taken out.

He reached a large hole in the vents, covered only by a metal grate. Clint pulled it off, and slipped inside his room. He grabbed a few blankets and pillows, then climbed back up. Using the blankets and pillows, he constructed a makeshift nest in the air vent, perfect for him to get some sleep and stay safe.

As Clint sighed and shut his eyes, he thought about his target. He really liked her, but she would have to go down if they were to succeed.

* * *

**Night fell about Stark Tower, though none inside could tell, for they were still in the dark. As it stands, Bruce is in an unknown storage room, Thor is in his room with poptarts, Steve and Clint are both in their rooms, and Tony, Pepper and Natasha are all in Tony's room. The only person that has been hit so far is Thor, leaving him will only three lives left.**

* * *

Steve woke with a start. He was confused by the darkness, then realized that his night vision goggles had fallen off. He slipped them back on, and glanced at his watch. It was almost five o'clock. He stood up and stretched, rummaged around in the fridge for something to eat, then walked to the elevator, gnawing on a stick of cheese.

He hit a random button, finished the last of his cheese, then propped his gun, ready to attack anyone who was to come at him once the doors opened. When they did finally open, Steve found himself in a room of random furniture and book cases, with a single lamp in a corner turned on. He began to scan the room, searching for anyone that posed a threat.

His instincts told him that he was not alone, and by the way some pieces of furniture were rearranged, he could tell that someone was there, sitting next to the lamp.

He moved closer, and his eyes adjusted to the figure of a person laying there. He raised his gun.

* * *

Natasha opened her eyes and found herself starring at the ceiling. She blinked, then found a clock on the wall. It was almost five. She sat up, then glanced over at Tony and Pepper, who were both peacefully asleep. Natasha reached for her ear, and clicked on her ear com. A loud snoring sound filled her ears.

"Clint! Wake up!" she hissed.

She heard a muffled snort, and the snoring stopped abruptly.

"Tasha? You need help? Where are you?" came a sleepy voice.

"Calm down, Clint. I'm in Tony's room. We're going to move soon though. I just wanted to make sure that you were alright. That was a close call you had in the kitchen."

"Yeah, sorry about that. Why didn't you take out Thor when you had the chance though?"

"Because. He's not our main target right now, is he? I plan on scouting for battle places today, if I can convince Pepper and Tony to get a move on. During the big get together, we can take out our target, which will signify me leaving our alliance, and then we can start taking people out together. Right?"

"Right."

"We need to end this soon. We were supposed to meet with Fury yesterday, remember?"

"Oh god, we were, weren't we? We're so dead."

"We're not dead until lock down is released on this tower, then we're dead. Even then, we might not be the first to die. I've got a feeling that Fury will go for Tony first."

"True, true. As long as I get to enjoy watching Tony die, I don't care what else happens."

"Whatever Clint. I'm going to go wake up Pepper and Tony. Stay nearby, alright? I need you in case things get out of hand."

"I'll be right above you Tasha, and I promise no more close calls like the kitchen."

"Good, because I'm not sparing any of my lives."

Clint smiled as he clicked off his ear com. He gathered the blankets and pillows, and tossed them back into his room before heading towards Tony's room, climbing through the vents.

* * *

Back in Tony's room, Natasha attempted to wake up Pepper and Tony. Pepper got up immediately, but Tony was another story. He swatted Natasha's hand away when she tried to rouse him, and didn't even move when Pepper kicked him in the back. Giving up on Tony, Pepper grabbed two iced coffees out of the fridge and gave one to Natasha. The pair sat in a comfortable silence, sipping the coffee. Natasha turned to Pepper.

"I think we should go hunting today."

Pepper raised her eyebrows. "Hunting?"

"What else do you want to call it?"

Pepper shrugged. "I don't know. Hunting sounds a little harsh."

"Whatever. I know one thing though. We need to end this soon. Clint and I were supposed to meet with Fury yesterday, so we're going to be screwed if we don't get out of here soon."

"Same. I need to go into work. How should end this quicker? Just start taking people out?"

Natasha's face brightened as she thought of an idea. "What if we lessened the lives?"

"What?" asked Pepper.

Natasha wasn't listening. She stood up, and looked up at the ceiling. "JARVIS, you there?"

"As always, Miss Romanoff."

"Can you change the amount of lives we have from four to two? We need to end this soon."

"Absolutely, Miss Romanoff." There was a short pause, and then JARVIS's voice echoed throughout the tower. "Attention Ladies and Gentlemen of the first annual Laser Tag games. Because some people have actual lives to get to, instead of having four lives, you now have two. Thank you, and may the odds be ever in your favor."

Natasha and Pepper burst out laughing, while Tony pulled himself up, and glared at the pair of them.

"What the heck! Did you guys just make a rule change? I'm the only one who makes rule changes!"

"Sorry Tony, but if we don't end this soon, it will turn into the actual Hunger Games. We'll run out of food. Plus, if Fury doesn't hear from me or Clint soon, he'll resurrect Coulson."

"Resurrect Coulson?"

"Before Phil died, he seemed to have a sixth sense as to where Clint and I were and whether or not we were in danger or not. That's why we called him our mother hen."

"Huh. I just though you were just that close."

"Oh, we were that close, but he had motherly instincts. It was creepy. Really creepy."

"Weird. Anyway, now that we have only two lives, are we still going on a hunting trip?"

Pepper rolled her eyes, and Natasha smiled. Tony grinned too, then grabbed Pepper's coffee from her hands. He chugged it, threw the bottle on the ground, and strode to the elevator. He thought he felt something touch his pocket, but there was nothing there.

He turned back to Pepper and Natasha, his smile still in place. Pepper was still watching him, but Natasha was glaring at the ceiling, near the air vent. Tony arched an eyebrow and looked up, but he didn't see anything. Tony looked back at the two, Natasha's attention now refocused on him.

"We were in a hurry to end this, yes?"

* * *

Bruce didn't know when he fell asleep, only that when he woke up, he was in immediate danger. He had heard the doors to the elevator open, but didn't register anything until he saw someone standing right above him, aiming a gun at him. He raised his hands, before he realized it was Steve.

"Steve! It's me Bruce."

Bruce watched Steve's hands waver, then drop the gun completely. Steve reached down and helped Bruce to his feet, and out of the fort.

"Thanks man," Bruce said, shaking hands with Steve. Steve nodded.

"No problem. I thought that you were Tony. Sorry about the scare."

Bruce shook his head. "It's nothing."

Steve looked around, studying the room. "This is a nice place to hide. No supplies though."

Bruce was just about to reply when his stomach growled. Steve smiled.

"Come on. We can go back to my room and get you something to eat."

JARVIS's voice reached their ears about only having two lives,and Steve and Bruce listened, intrigued. Once it was over, Steve moved towards the door, but Bruce hesitated. Steve looked at him, puzzled.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just that I'm not exactly the safest person to have as an ally, if that's what this is."

"Of course we're going to be allies. Pepper and Natasha are, so why can't we? Bruce, I don't care about what could happen. I know you'll keep it under control. Come on. It'll be fun."

Bruce still looked uneasy, but followed Steve to the door. The pair made their way back to Steve's room, where everything was exactly as Steve had left it.

Or was it?

* * *

Thor woke up, found another case of poptarts in his kitchen, and ate three packets before passing out again. If they wanted to find him, they would know where to find him. Either way, he wasn't leaving his poptarts. When the announcement sounded, he merely shrugged it off. He wasn't in any immediate danger.

* * *

On his way to Natasha, Clint took a detour. He still had several ear comms in his pocket that he had taken from the lab, and he had them all connected to a certain frequency, so that all he had to do was switch channels on his own com and listen in to the com of his choice.

Once Steve left his room, Clint slipped out of the air vents, and concealed a com in a plant in the far corner of the room. The only way that you would find it is if you were specifically looking for it.

He stopped by Thor's room, snuck by the napping god, and put a com underneath the bed side table.

He did the same with Bruce's, Natasha's, and his own room, before going to Tony's room. On his way there, he heard the announcement about only having two lives. He smiled; Natasha really wanted to end it.

Once he reached Tony's room, he peered through the vent. Natasha and Pepper were sitting on the bed, while Tony was walking to the elevator. Clint took aim, and successfully threw an ear comm into Tony's pocket. Pepper didn't notice anything, but Natasha immediately turned her head and looked up at the vent. Tony looked up too, but shrugged it off.

"We were in a hurry to end this, yes?"

Natasha glanced back at the vent, but followed Pepper and Tony into the elevator. Once the doors shut, Clint rushed into action.

He jumped into Tony's room, threw a com under the bed, then rushed to the elevator doors. He pried them apart, then looked down into the abyss. There was a ledge not too far down. He saw a quickly receding light, and made a split second decision. He closed his eyes, opened them, then jumped into the shaft, aiming to hit the ledge. He landed roughly, twisting his ankle slightly. Clint breathed out, shoving the thought of pain from his mind.

Slowly he made his way down the shaft, jumping from ledge to ledge. Eventually he caught up with the elevator, and lept lightly on top of it, not making a sound. It stopped off on a random floor, and Clint turned his com on. Natasha's voice filled his ears.

"No. No one would be dumb enough to hide in there. It's just water. Only Clint would do that."

Clint smiled. She was telling him that this wasn't an acceptable room for their plan. A few moments later, the elevator began moving again, downwards into the tower. He heard bickering over the com link, and was glad Natasha had such great patience. If she didn't, then things would have been a lot different.

The elevator rolled to a stop, and Clint heard the doors open. The link was silent for a few moments, but then he heard an appreciative sigh.

"Why couldn't we have gone here first, Stark? This is perfect," came Natasha's voice.

"Perfect for what?" Tony said.

"An ambush. Someone draws a victim here, then the two others are waiting, and then we attack."

"It's a maze. I don't find this safe."

"It'll be fun. Seriously, I don't think that we're going to get much better than this."

"Listen to the spy, Tony. She knows what she's talking about."

"Yeah, listen to me. This room is it. It's perfect."

Clint grinned again. That was his que.

He slipped off a tile from the top of the elevator, then pressed a button. The doors shut on Tony's and Pepper's shocked faces, while Natasha just smirked.

* * *

Back in Steve's room, Bruce and Steve sat, drinking cokes and eating chips. There was a silence between them, but it wasn't really an awkward silence, more of a companionable silence.

Steve eventually broke it. "So what do you think? Who is going to win?"

"Honestly? Natasha and Clint. They're pretty dangerous."

"They are aren't they? New question. Who do you _want _to win?"

Bruce sighed, thinking. "I want to say me, but truthfully? You. Not just because you gave me food, but because if you win, you're not going to flaunt it in anyone's faces. You won't brag. You'll just calmly defeat everyone, and then everything will go back to normal, or as normal as things can be in this tower."

Steve studied Bruce. "Really? Huh. Thanks. I make my vow here though, to not harm you, should it come to that."

Bruce laughed. "Seriously? What if we're the last two standing?"

Steve's brow furrowed in concentration. "Well, then, I guess that we'll just have to see what Tony does when we don't finish each other off, right?"

Bruce laughed again. "Right."

They clicked their cokes together, drinking to their new alliance.

* * *

Thor was still sleeping. The doors to the elevator opened up, and light fell upon his face, but he still didn't wake up. Not until Clint was right next to him did he open a bleary eye. He yelled, and sat up as fast as he could, but Clint was already in the elevator, holding a box of poptarts.

Before the elevator could get too far away, Thor jabbed the button, and grinned evilly as it started coming back to his floor. Clint hadn't had time to get off. Thor pointed his gun at the door, waiting.

When the elevator opened, however, no one was inside. Thor snarled and stepped in, but then the doors shut, and he was at the mercy of wherever the elevator was taking him.

Above, Thor didn't notice as the tile slid back into place. Clint held his laughter as he rode the elevator down.

Things were about to get interesting.

* * *

**Okay people! The big battle is coming. I promise. Just a recap, Natasha, Tony, and Pepper are all stranded in some room that you don't know about yet but I do. Steve and Bruce are chilling in Steve's room, while Clint is leading Thor somewhere. I think you know where. **


	11. The Maze

**Fear not my friends! Clintasha will most definitely come, for they are my favorite to write! I have huge plans for them, and already a story has been formalizing in my mind over this past week. I mean, what else am I supposed to do in school but daydream, right?**

**Now, I just saw Godzilla. I feel like its a Marvel movie in disguise. The main couple is the Maximoff twins in Age Of Ultron, and someone's codename was Hawkeye. I freaked out, but no one knew why.**

* * *

Natasha turned to Tony and Pepper.

"It was Clint. I guess he needed a ride."

Tony rolled his eyes, then scanned the room. He hated the feeling of this room, but if the super spy said it was safe, then it would have to do.

It was filled with metal bars, crisscrossing throughout the room, forming a maze within the room. The bars reached from the floor up to the ceiling, leaving no room to climb out if you got cornered. It was sort of like a massive jungle gym, but for grownups. There were openings between the bars for someone to walk through, but that would enter you into the maze, and there was a good chance that you wouldn't get out without help.

Pepper too looked over the room. She squinted at the foreboding feel of the room, then turned to Tony.

"Why did you make this?"

Tony shrugged. "I let the construction workers have a few rooms to go crazy on. I guess that this is one of theirs."

Natasha walked confidently into the maze, running her hand along the bars as she walked, much like a little girl in a candy store. Tony shivered; Natasha officially creeped him out. She turned back to Pepper and Tony.

"We need to set up a base. Let's move in, and map out an exit, and an entrance. We need somewhere deep in the room, where we can hide, and stay safe."

Tony looked back into the room. You couldn't see the opposite wall, even with the night vision glasses on. He shook his head.

"There is no way that we're going to be able to remember where we came from or where we're supposed to go in there."

Natasha gave him a toothy grin. "That's why you have me."

* * *

Steve drained another coke, then grabbed another from his fridge. Steve raised an eyebrow at Bruce, but the scientist held up his still half-full glass. Steve nodded, then sat back down beside him.

"I wonder what the others are doing. I wonder if anyone has been taken out yet," said Bruce.

Steve crunched his face in concentration. "I bet JARVIS would announce if anyone had actually been eliminated. I wonder where you go once you're out."

"Mhh." Bruce pulled the coke bottle away from his mouth. "You go to the surveillance room where you watch it all play out. I asked JARVIS about it when I was back in that storage room."

Steve looked him over. "That's... kind of crazy."

Bruce snorted. "It's amusing. For Tony. Only he expects us all to go there and watch him win."

Steve pulled on a face of concentration again. "I wonder what he's doing." He gave a quiet laugh. "Imagine if he teamed up with Thor."

Bruce, though, wasn't paying attention. He set down his coke, stood up, then grabbed his gun. Steve looked at him, confused. Bruce gave him a meaningful glare.

"There is an awful lot of wondering going on. Let's stop wondering, and go get some answers."

He strode over to the elevator, then glanced back at Steve. Steve was watching him with a strange look, but then he stood up, and followed Bruce to the elevator. Once he was right by his side, Steve gave Bruce a military salute.

"Aye-aye, Captain."

Bruce rolled his eyes, then moved to hit the button for the elevator, but it was already headed for their floor. Steve and Bruce locked eyes, then flattened themselves against the wall on either side of the elevator doors.

A few seconds crawled by, and then light flooded the room. The doors opened up silently, and Bruce and Steve held their breath.

Nothing happened. No one walked out, but the doors just stayed open. Steve took a tentative step from the wall, then turned quickly, and aimed his gun at the elevator. Bruce watched Steve scan the open container, then put down his gun.

"It's empty."

Bruce stepped out, and sure enough, the elevator was empty.

"Probably Tony playing a prank."

Steve nodded, then held out an arm, allowing Bruce to walk in first. Bruce nodded, then walked into the elevator. Steve followed, and as soon as they were safe inside, the doors shut. Bruce leaned over and hit the button for the kitchen, but nothing happened. Bruce and Steve shared a concerned glance, but then the elevator kicked to life. It dropped quickly then slowed down, but passed the kitchen completely. Bruce hit the kitchen button again, but it seemed out of his control.

It stopped completely on a random floor. Neither Bruce nor Steve recalled ever setting foot into this room, but when the doors opened up, and they saw the metal bars and flashing lights, they knew that they were in the right place.

Once they entered the room full of their battling comrades, they weren't paying attention to anything behind them.

Clint, who had been controlling the elevator, slipped from the top of the elevator, smiled at the pair's retreating backs, before taking off into the maze.

* * *

Thor was still grumbling as the doors to the elevator opened up. He still didn't have his poptarts, and he was getting hungry. He stepped out, fuming, into the room, not thinking about where he was going. The elevator closed behind him, then rose back up into the tower. The lights were on. Thor didn't think much of it. He stepped deeper into the room, until he heard a voice.

"Hello, Thor."

Two figures were approaching on either side of him, but the one who spoke dropped from the ceiling. He turned back to the elevator, but it wouldn't get there in time. He was trapped.

* * *

Natasha weaved her way in and out of the bars, while Pepper and Tony tried their best to keep up with her. Pepper tried to keep track of the way they were going, but it was too difficult. Left, Right, Right, Middle, Left; She just couldn't keep up.

"Natasha? How are you keeping track?" Pepper voiced aloud.

Natasha smiled slyly over her shoulder. "I just do."

"What, is it like a photographic memory type thing?" asked Tony.

Natasha shrugged. "I'm not sure. I just... remember stuff."

For Tony, that wasn't a good enough answer.

"But how? Is there a scientific cause, or were you born that way? Do you remember everything you ever see? Can you remember your early childhood?"

At first Natasha had laughed, but when Tony asked about her childhood, she stopped, turned around, and wrapped her hand around his throat. Pepper gasped, and Tony began to struggle. Natasha's eyes narrowed dangerously and her lips thinned as she lifted Tony off of his feet.

"Never ask me about being a child again. Do you understand?"

She spoke with a thick Russian accent, and Tony flinched at her words.

"Okay," was all he was able to choke out.

Natasha dropped him, letting him fall to the ground. She stalked off, back to weaving in and out of the bars again. Pepper gave her a quizzical look, kicked Tony's coughing body, gave him the 'you shouldn't have done that' look, then fell in line behind Natasha. Tony joined them, grumbling, a few moments later.

After a few minutes, they reached a wall, where a large metal box was hanging. Natasha looked around, then nodded, muttering to herself. She seemed to be going over the directions on how to get back again.

Tony shook his head at her, then walked past her, slumping against the wall. Pepper sat down beside him, removing her glasses, then squinted into the darkness.

"Hey, Natasha? Do you think we could find a light switch? It's just that I think we'll be able to take people down easier if we can see farther."

Natasha turned her eyes onto Pepper, then looked up, scanning the walls. They fell upon the metal box. She strode forward, took the butt off her gun, and hit the lock on the box. Tony, who had been sitting directly underneath it, flinched, and yelped when her heard the gun hit. She sneered at him as the long clanged to the ground, and he uncurled himself to see what she had actually done.

Pepper leaned up and opened the box. Inside was a lot of different switches, with wires and other electrical equipment. She tried a few of the switches, and soon, there were flickering lights above them. Natasha and Tony pulled off their glasses, for now it was too bright to see.

Tony turned to examine the box, and Pepper stayed by his side, but Natasha turned, her face scrunched up in concentration. She stepped forward a few feet back into the maze, turning her head. Pepper and Tony were whispering behind her, and she held up her hand for silence. Pepper moved up next to her.

"What is it?"

Natasha took another step forward. "I think... I think someone is coming down."

Tony walked up. "I don't hear anything thing."

Natasha shushed him. She turned her head again, then a shadow passed over her face.

"Alright. The elevator is on the way down. Follow me."

Natasha grabbed her gun, and took off running. Pepper followed close behind, with Tony at her heels. They three twisted and turned around the bars, and within a few seconds, they were back at the elevator. Natasha turned to the panting Pepper and Tony.

"Okay. Pepper, take right, Tony, on the left. I'm going to come at them from the center. Be careful."

Pepper nodded, and Tony just turned on his heel and retreated to the corner. Natasha smiled, then looked up. Within a few seconds, she was hanging from the ceiling, ready to pounce.

Thor stepped in, and Natasha's grin grew larger. She loosened the grip on the bars, then slid smoothly to the ground, landing without a sound. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Tony and Pepper closing in.

"Hello, Thor."

* * *

**Sorry I left off with a cliff hanger, but mother wants me to go to bed, but I hope to write more this weekend! Who do you all want to win this game of laser tag? I need to wrap it up because I have big. BIG. plans for Clintasha, and I want to get them out! **

**Your reviews are welcome! I cannot tell you how happy they make me!**


	12. Fallen

**So many ideas, so little time.**

* * *

Thor glared at his incoming foes. Natasha had her gun aimed straight at his chest, the same as Tony and Pepper, who were coming at him from the sides. He moved his feet into a fighting stance, ready to take them all on. As they came closer, Thor got more desperate. His searched for a way out, and fell upon an entrance into the maze, just to the other side of Pepper.

He gave them all a look, then just as they got too close for comfort, he yelled, then charged Pepper, who screamed, and jumped out of the way, straight into Natasha, who in turn fell into Tony.

The three lay tangled in the ground, and it took them a moment to regain their footing. Tony looked around in the direction that Thor had run off in, and took off, Pepper coming close behind.

Natasha looked up towards the elevator doors, and saw that someone was on their way down to their floor. She smiled, and then headed off in search of the demi-god.

Eventually she found Tony, panting, with Pepper pulling him along. He had burnt up too much energy, too fast. Natasha took point, using her tracking skills to try and find the right path that the god would take.

Soon, they heard loud, hurried footsteps, and knew that they were headed in the right direction. Natasha broke into a run, with Pepper right beside her, Tony dragging himself behind.

Just as Thor came into view, his eyes large and panicked, someone screamed, and then everything went dark, for Pepper at least.

She had left her night vision glasses back at the power box.

* * *

Bruce caught sight of a pair of red heads, and a man, running into a maze, just as the door opened. He and Steve stepped in, and fell into hot pursuit, chasing them down, or, so they thought.

When Bruce realized that the three were actually chasing another member of the tower, they slowed off, wanting another person to be taken out before they took Natasha, Pepper, and Tony out.

Steve noticed that the lights were on, and that the night vision glasses weren't needed. This made him uneasy, but he wasn't sure why.

Steve took point, and walked stealthily, hardly making a sound. Bruce tried to imitate him, but it wasn't working out so well. His feet echoed with every step, and when he accidentally touched a metal bar, it rang like a bell.

He got increasingly frustrated, but then shook it off, knowing that he was being stupid. Steve held up a hand to stop their progress.

"They just up ahead," he whispered.

Bruce nodded, and took extreme care as they moved forward slowly.

Just then, someone gave an ear piercing scream, and the lights shut off.

* * *

Clint had just slipped in as Bruce and Steve set off after Natasha, Tony, and Pepper. Clint knew that Natasha, Tony, and Pepper, were after Thor, and that Thor was after him, so it was just all a giant mix-up of people wanting to shoot people.

Clint shook his head at their retreating backs, knowing full and well that they weren't going to last long if they went hunting after Natasha. He pulled of his glasses, for now, and headed into the maze, away from Bruce and Steve.

He tried to remember the directions that Natasha had whispered to him when she had found her way to the power box. Left, right, right, middle, left; it kept going on and on, but within a few minutes, he found the metal box. As he moved closer, he heard a crunch underneath his foot. He pulled back, confused, then smiled.

It was a pair of night vision glasses.

That reminded him to put on his own. He slipped them back on, then stepped over the broken glasses, to the metal box. Just as he was about to shut it off, he had an idea.

He was always good at making the rookies freaked out by his screams. If they were training in the gym, he would hide up in the rafters, and cry out at a random time, making them all run for cover. If they had their survival test, and went out camping for the night, Clint would hide in the trees, and screech at night, making them all quiver together next to the fire, thinking that would keep them safe.

Therefore, right before he turned off the lights, he tilted his head back, and screamed.

Satisfied with himself, he flipped the switches, turned back around, and switched on his ear com.

He checked around him to make sure that he was clear, then ran back to the elevator, weaving in between the bars.

* * *

Natasha knew, right when she heard the scream, that things were about to get crazy. When the lights went out, to avoid getting shot, she lunged for the nearest wall of bars, and shimmied her way up.

She watched the scene unfold underneath her. Pepper didn't have her glasses, and went blundering around, helpless; Tony had just managed to slip his glasses on as he was charged by Thor; Bruce and Steve didn't even think about their glasses, and just started shooting randomly into the darkness.

She heard someone on the other end of her ear com, and turned it up. She heard heavy breathing.

"Clint?" she hissed, not wanting to alert the others below of her position.

The breathing paused. "Tasha? You alright? I screamed to let you know-"

"Yeah, Clint, thanks. It gave me plenty of time. Listen, our target is below me, but what do you think? Separate, and then attack? Or do you want me to take it out right now?"

She heard Clint sigh on the other side. "Uh, Separate? I think it would be easier, given your position."

Natasha raised an eyebrow. "My position- wait, how do you know where I am?"

"On your left."

Natasha looked down, and was just able to make out a figure moving in between the bars. She smiled, and waved, getting a similar response.

"Okay, Clint. I'll get out target out of here. Meet us at the elevator, alright? And Clint, be careful."

"Always am, Nat."

She grinned at his retreating back, then glanced back down and the mess below her. Pepper had huddled herself into a corner, her hands over her head; Tony was still tussling with Thor; Bruce and Steve had finally managed to get on their glasses, and were taking aim at Tony. Natasha slipped down, unnoticed, right next to Pepper, who gasped, and almost yelled out.

"Sh, Sh, Pep it's me. Come on. We're going to get you out of this."

"Natasha?" Pepper said, squinting as she tried to find her face in the darkness.

"Yeah. Come on now, before Bruce and Steve find us."

Natasha helped Pepper to her feet, grabbed her hand, then led her along, weaving in between the bars, away from the battle scene.

Eventually all of the noise faded, leaving only the pressing darkness. Natasha circled back around, and the pair came upon the elevator doors within a few minutes.

Pepper thought she heard something behind them, and she tried to turn her head to hear better, but Natasha kept pulling her forward. Pepper saw the outline of the elevator doors, and breathed a sigh of relief, when she heard another noise on her right.

Natasha whipped around, and aimed at the person that Pepper couldn't quite see. She heard them take a few steps closer, and then stop. Natasha tensed up, and then dropped her weapon. Pepper was confused.

"Natasha, who is it?"

Natasha turned around, not answering.

"Natasha, is it Tony? Is that you?"

She heard a man laugh, but it definitely wasn't Tony. It was Clint.

"Barton? Natasha? What's going on?"

She heard Natasha sigh. "I'm really sorry Pepper, but you are our main threat. You're one of the only people that we care about in this tower, therefore classifying you as a threat. Clint and I don't do well when it comes to people we care about, and didn't want to see you taken out by anyone else, because then we'd kind of, you know, go super spy on them. We realized early on that it had to be us that would take you out. I'm really sorry, I truly am, but it has to be done."

Pepper staggered backwards. "What? Why?"

"Because," continued Clint. "We need to get this over with, and we can't do that if we go around, trying to protect you the whole time. If we let you live, that is exactly what we would do. Pepper, don't you understand, that if we do this, we can all get this over with a lot faster? Tasha and I can take out everyone in a few hours, but if you're here, then we would spend all of our efforts protecting you from everyone else. We need to eliminate you."

Pepper shook her head. "I can't believe this. You're going to kill me, because you care about me."

Clint and Natasha shared a glance. "Yep, pretty much."

Pepper rolled her eyes. "Fine! But make it quick, because if you can wrap this up in a few hours, I need you to do it fast. I've got a board meeting tomorrow that I really need to get to."

She threw down her gun, and opened up her arms, as if she was welcoming her impending death. Natasha scanned her, then glanced at Clint. They shared a glance, then took aim. Their lasers hit at the same time, lighting up the vest permanently.

As Pepper relaxed, able to see by the constant light emanating from her vest, a cannon sounded up above, followed by a second a few moments later. Natasha and Clint shared a quizzical look; there should have only been one cannon, not two.

* * *

Bruce and Steve kept firing and firing and firing at Tony, but none could make their mark, for Tony and Thor were constantly on the move. Thor had finally released Tony, and now the pair was dancing back and forth, trying to avoid getting shot.

Bruce shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, then took aim again. He breathed out slowly, then pulled the trigger. Bruce wasn't sure if it was going to hit or not, but Thor moved directly into the line of fire.

His vest lit up, except this time, it didn't go dark again. A cannon fired in the distance.

Steve and Tony paused, realizing what this meant. Suddenly, one of Tony's robots appeared from nowhere as another cannon fired, grabbed hold of Thor, then took off into the maze.

Tony was momentarily confused, before he remembered that he had set up a retrieving device to retrieve the person once they were out. They would be taken to the surveillance room, where they were to wait until the rest of the game played out.

The three turned their head as JARVIS sounded above them. It was something about Thor and Pepper being taken out. Tony froze, then took off running. He yelled out into the darkness for Pepper, but he knew it was no good.

* * *

JARVIS spoke up just after the cannons sounded. "Greetings participants in the 1st annual laser tag game, two targets have been taken out, hence, the sounding of the cannon. The targets are Pepper Potts, and Thor Odinson. Good luck to the rest of you, and may the odds be ever in your favor."

Pepper rolled her eyes, then moved to the elevator. Natasha and Clint moved forward to send her off. Just as she was about to leave, Thor came hurtling out of nowhere, thrown by some invisible force. His vest too was lit all of the way up. He grumbled as he entered the elevator, crossing his arms and sulking.

Clint suddenly stepped forward.

"Hold on. I think I owe you something."

He leaned up, into the elevator, and grabbed a box of poptarts from the ceiling. Thor's eyes grew huge, and he grabbed the box delicately from Clint. Pepper gave Thor a look, then laughed, just as the doors closed, leaving Clint and Natasha in silence.

Clint turned to his partner, who was already watching him. Natasha smiled, then raised her hand for a high-five. Clint grinned, and slapped her hand.

"Two down, three to go."

They turned as Tony came tearing into their line of vision. He looked like he could breathe fire. He saw Natasha and Clint, then raised his gun, taking aim at Natasha.

"You first, red."

* * *

Steve looked around as Tony took off running. Bruce stepped up beside him, and Steve clapped him on his shoulder.

"Nice shot, soldier."

Bruce rolled his eyes. "Come on. Let's go after him."

Steve nodded, and this time, he didn't bother trying to be quiet. The pair lunged after Tony, gaining on him quickly. Again, though, they had to stop as they realized that Tony wasn't running away. He was running towards someone. A very dangerous someone.

"You first, red," Steve heard Tony exclaim. He had his gun pointed straight at Natasha. Clint was glaring at Tony, his weapon aimed at the billionaire. Bruce thought for a second that Clint's eyes had flickered over onto them, but Steve and Bruce were just in their line of vision, so he wasn't sure if he could see the, or not.

Clint's lips moved, but no sound came out. Natasha, however, glanced over at where Bruce and Steve were standing. Tony took a step closer.

"You took out Pepper! We were allies!"

Natasha turned an icy glare onto Tony. "Alliances break. Ours did. It's time to break another. Now!"

She and Clint turned their guns away from Tony in a second, took aim at Steve, then both shot at him. The first laser hit, and then the second. Steve was out.

His vest lit up, and stayed that way. A cannon fired. He was pushed forward into the elevator, still dumbstruck. He shared a glance with Bruce.

Bruce was mad. He was beyond mad. He was... _angry, _and losing control fast. As the elevator doors shut on Steve, Bruce buckled, falling to his knees. He pressed his hands over his eyes, but he could already see the green. He could feel himself growing, the pain intensifying.

He yelled out. He saw, through a tinted image, Natasha and Clint running for cover, while Tony just stood there, staring.

Bruce knew where he had to go. He had to go to his room. That was the only place he would be safe.

He only hoped that he could get there in time.

* * *

**Someone asked for a hulk, yes?**


End file.
